In order to avoid the potential fire and explosion hazard in storage and/or transport vessels containing fuel, flammable liquid or reactive liquid (e.g., aircraft fuel tanks, ships carrying flammable fluids as cargo, stationary storage tanks, and the like), it is necessary to reduce the concentration of reactive components (e.g., oxygen and/or fuel vapors) in the gas phase that may be brought into contact with liquid fuel. Many different approaches have been taken in efforts to address this problem. One such approach, for example, involves the use of a membrane-based gas separator to remove a sufficient amount of oxygen from the fluid stream which is to be introduced into the fuel-containing vessel so as to reduce the oxygen concentration below 5%. This reduced oxygen content gas is then used as an inert gas blanket in the storage vessel.
Another method employed in the art involves use of a pressure swing adsorption system to separate the oxygen from air to generate oxygen depleted inert gas for introduction into the storage vessel.
These as well as other systems described in the prior art require elaborate setup and add significantly to the cost of operation. Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods for removing reactive components (e.g., oxygen and/or fuel vapors), or reducing the levels thereof, from the vapor phase of fuel storage vessels.